Manhunt for fugitive under way in small Indiana town

With a tiny country grocery store, a grain silo, and a couple of houses, not too much happens in the town of DeLong.

Until this week, that is.

For the past several days, the community has been near the epicenter of a massive manhunt for Wesley Stuber, 46, of Bunker Hill, Ind., who is believed to have skipped out on a felony trial for methamphetamine charges in Cass County, Ind., earlier this week.

Now, with a helicopter, tracking dogs, and law enforcement officials in camouflage scouring the nearby fields, locals like Jennifer Metzger, an employee at the L and B Country Oasis grocery store, are wondering if their safety is at stake.

Â?Everybody who comes in is talking about it,Â? she said. Â?The police arenÂ?t telling anyone anything.

Â?WeÂ?re all kind of scared,Â? she said.

Information about Stuber was scarce Thursday at the command post used by the search teams, which included U.S. Marshals, as well as officers from area law-enforcement agencies.

At the staging area, located at the intersection of Indiana 110 and Indiana 17, men in camouflage fatigues carrying tactical gear stood in groups talking, while representatives of the media were told that no information would be released until after the suspect, whom they refused to name, was caught.

However, in a telephone interview, Miami County Sheriff Ken Roland confirmed that the search was for Stuber, and said that the suspect was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear for his bench trial in Cass County, which was for charges of manufacturing methamphetamine.

Although absent, Stuber was found guilty at the trial.

As of Thursday evening, there was no word on whether Stuber had been caught. Metzger said she hoped that would change.

Â?We really hope they catch him soon,Â? she said. Â?WeÂ?ve got parents coming in here wondering if they should let their kids go outside.Â?